What lurked in the depths, now is going to haunt your
boat.
Be
careful what you hook up. Aside from picking some vicious industrial garbage,
you can bring to the surface some strange and unmentionable things. Most
fishermen will happily brag about an extraordinary big fish (and we'll show
plenty of those in this article). But sometimes the catch is so bizarre, that
they'd rather try to forget it over a drink or two.
"Larger
than life" (but hopefully still real) catches
We all know that
the size of our largest catch is only limited to how wide we can stretch our
arms, and how gullible your friends are. A picture would usually prove your
story, if you don't mind occasional "this is Photoshop... I can tell by the
pixels" comments:
(a whale shark, not that big either)
Catfish the size of a small car? Well,
almost.
"The World's Largest Catfish" catch happened in Thailand: (more
info - that is a 646-pound Mekong giant catfish)
(photo by Suthep Kritsanavarin)
This is, by the way, officially the
largest freshwater fish ever caught...
Here are more record catfish
catches: (images credit: euro-som.de)
This one was caught in France: 106kg, 2.5 meters
Spain: 101kg
Germany: 83kg, 2.2 meters
Kazakhstan: 130kg, 2.6 meters
"Fish in Distress" Needs
Saving
According to this source an eight-inch basketball was stuck in a
catfish' mouth - the 50-pound fish could not swim or dive, so Wichita resident
Bill Driver used a knife to poke the hole in the ball and deflate
it:
(photos credit: Michael Pearce, Wichita Eagle,
2004)
This
fish is also asking for trouble:
More
fish misadventures:
The
Cutest of the Bunch
Aww! Look at this friendly whale!
-
Here
is a baby stingray that you'll remember for the rest of your week,
guaranteed:
(original unknown)
(photo by Jeffrey N. Goldsmith)
White Eye Morel Eel:
(image credit: Frances Tan)
Another "alien" on Earth: pretty endearing sea dragon (a
Triops) -
(image credit: Steve Jurvetson)
The Blue Dragon - pelagic sea slug:
(original unknown)
The cutest of them all: an Axolotl - a freshwater
salamander:
The
one with the biggest "cuteness factor" is the albino - white, almost transparent
Axolotl. They are priceless creatures (made to be worshiped by Japanese
schoolgirls)
Most Vicious of the Bunch
We all
know this is "fish-eats-fish" world -
Sharks...
awesome creatures:
The
"flying sharks" pictorial is something not to be missed - see it
here:
(image credit: National Geographic)
Goliath Tiger Fish:
Want to
catch the wickedest-looking fish, and snap pictures that are going to be
forwarded by scared grandmas all over the internet?
Go to the Congo
River (or Lake Tanganyika in Central Africa) and try to catch a Goliath Tiger
Fish (aka African tigerfish or giant tigerfish), or Hydrocynus Goliath. Just
make sure not to go swimming in these waters, as this kind of fish indeed is
known to attack humans (the only freshwater fish in Africa that would do so)
-
(images source)
This company will set up a fishing expedition for
you. There is plenty of toothy fish in these waters:
The
Ugliest of the Bunch
These live mostly at significant depths, so
it's highly unlikely that they will be fished out. But if you do, then - don't
make a false move in your boat:
This
giant grouper is not really ugly, but rather imposing with its 5-foot
size:
(image credit: Frances Tan)
Going Deeper - See the spell-binding gallery of
"creatures of the abyss
(image credit: Edith Widder)
(image credit: David Shale)
Here is a really ugly monk-fish (which a lot of people
consider a delicacy!) -
(image credit: Maryland Dept. of Natural Resources)
Hope this aquarium has thick glass:
(art installation by Damien Hirst)
Speaking of ugly catches, you might have seen already the
infamous "Mr. Blobby":
(image credit: K. Parkinson, NORFANZ)
"A Fathead (genus Psychrolutes) trawled
during the NORFANZ expedition at a depth between 1013 m and 1340 m, on the
Norfolk Ridge, north-west of New Zealand, June 2003"
Fish
Tales
This fish was given the opportunity to speak out (as part
of 1945 research). Must be some hair-raising tales, judging by how scared it
looks.
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